Hatake Satoru didn't like being watched by those Jonin.
Interrogation and mind games also required strength, and Satoru didn't want to show his power in front of them.
Kakashi was his younger brother, so anything about Satoru's strength would be kept secret as much as possible.
But if the other Jonin saw it, things might get complicated.
After agreeing, Kakashi went back to report.
Satoru originally planned to just watch the kids after they finished the written exam.
But getting a sneak peek at their abilities ahead of time wasn't bad either.
…
On the day of the Chunin Exams.
At the classroom entrance, two kids were standing like guards.
Tenten and Lee were shoved aside by them and ended up on the ground, looking a bit embarrassed as they wiped their faces.
"That was too much..."
The group of students waiting to take the exam couldn't help whispering among themselves.
The two "guards" at the door smiled a little smugly and looked at the murmuring students around them.
"What are you mumbling about? Listen up—this is us being *nice*."
"The Chunin Exam is a big hurdle. We've seen plenty of people quit being a ninja or fall into despair after taking it."
Hozuki Suigetsu leaned on Kimimaro and Haku's shoulders, jumping a little to peek ahead with curiosity.
"What's going on? Those two Genin were so weak, and those two guards didn't look that strong either."
Even though Suigetsu and Kimimaro were the same age, because of Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai, Suigetsu ended up being the shortest of the three.
Haku and Kimimaro glanced back at him at the same time, both a bit puzzled.
Why would a place like the Hidden Mist Village, known for being secretive, raise someone who talked so much and couldn't shut up?
"Keep your voice down. Don't draw too much attention. They might just be hiding their strength."
"We should watch them carefully before the actual exam starts."
Haku tilted his head slightly and reminded Suigetsu in a low voice.
But just as he turned to speak, the three members of Team 7 walked past him.
Naruto had his hands behind his head, looking around curiously, but since Haku had his head turned and his long black hair was hanging down, Naruto just thought he looked kind of familiar and didn't pay much attention.
"Yeah, yeah—I got it."
Suigetsu pouted a little but quieted down.
Haku had experience and a gentle personality, so he wasn't really scary to them.
When the three of them were temporarily teamed up back in the Hidden Mist Village, after just a few days, Haku already felt drained.
The two of them never worked together. They each did their own thing. The only time they really teamed up was probably when they were picking on Haku.
They were cocky at first, but then Mangetsu asked Zabuza—who was on break—to come back temporarily and lend them the Executioner's Blade, hinting at the issues with the team.
Zabuza didn't hesitate to play the bad guy. After giving the two of them a serious lesson, Haku's position in the team rose quite a bit.
Kimimaro silently looked up and down at the room number sign, then spoke quietly to the other two.
"This is a Genjutsu barrier. This place should've been a stairway."
"What's wrong with stopping those who can't pass from even getting through the door?"
Kotetsu Izumo said to the group in front of him.
Sasuke stepped forward with his hands in his pockets, Team 7 following behind him, and looked up at the room sign.
"You're not wrong. But we're still going up. This Genjutsu barrier is pretty sloppy—let's just cancel it already."
"We're supposed to be on the third floor."
Haku looked thoughtfully at Sasuke, who was walking forward. With Sasuke's abilities, it wasn't surprising that he could see through it.
Suigetsu, on the other hand, didn't notice the Genjutsu barrier. He was still thinking about how to take out the two people in front of him and get through the door.
After hearing what Kimimaro and Sasuke said, Suigetsu glanced around nervously. He looked over at the two people standing nearby.
He didn't want it to seem like he was way behind his teammates.
But Kimimaro and Haku both seemed more focused on other things, so they didn't really care about Suigetsu's reaction.
The door to the classroom started to spin, and then turned into a dark staircase going upward.
"So you guys noticed it, huh?"
Izumo smiled as he looked at the staircase behind him.
"Well, just seeing through it isn't enough…!"
Just then, Kotetsu suddenly spun and kicked hard toward Sasuke. Sasuke reacted without hesitation and kicked back. The two looked like they were about to fight.
Then, a green figure jumped in between them and blocked both kicks with his arms.
It was one of the two people that Izumo and Kotetsu had knocked down earlier.
Such speed.
Kimimaro rested his hand on his chin, quietly watching Lee as he stood between Sasuke and Kotetsu.
The bruises on his face were gone too. So he really had just been holding back before, not wanting to show his skills in front of everyone.
He hadn't paid much attention earlier, but now it was clear that among the Konoha genin, there were definitely some strong ones.
Besides the teachers, there were a few interesting people here too.
Kakashi's team and Guy's team faced off for a bit, while the rest of the people slowly went upstairs to the third floor.
"We're gonna see each other during the test anyway, so why are you guys watching them here?"
Suigetsu puffed up his cheeks awkwardly and pulled the other two toward the stairs.
"…Just a little curious, that's all."
Even though Haku and Kimimaro were interested in what happened to Team 7 and Lee, they still knew their priorities when it came to the exam.
Just like Suigetsu said, they were bound to run into them eventually, so it didn't matter if it wasn't now.
Once the three of them reached the third floor, they looked around.
At the end of the hallway was a large classroom, and standing in front of the door were two silver-haired men, nearly the same height and face, with just half a head's difference.
Both of them wore an eyepatch and a mask, and their messy silver hair looked almost identical.
"You're the proctor for the first part of the test. What are you doing standing here early?"
Kakashi glanced at Hatake Satoru beside him, looking a little confused.
He had come here to wait for Sakura and the others. There was still some time before the exam started. But why was Hatake Satoru already here too?
At Satoru's request, all the jonin were supposed to stay outside this time to make sure nothing unexpected happened. They weren't supposed to go in or take part in judging.
"Eh~ I'm a good teacher, isn't it normal for me to show up early to wait for the exam?"
"But you're the same, aren't you? Acting all confident with your words, but deep down, you're just here because you're worried about those three kids."
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